I think that there is much evidence out there to suggest that academic excellence is vitally important professional success and earning power. The statistic that the Georgetown University study uncovered is staggering. This study concluded that "a Bachelor’s degree-holder could expect to earn 84 percent more over a lifetime than someone with only a high school diploma." It affirmed the idea that, “On average, people with more education and higher attainment make more than people with less education."

Such data makes clear that academic excellence and success is a major component of professional success. If one wishes to define "professional success" as economic power, the earnings potential of one with more education is far greater than one without as much education. This is confirmed by the need for more intricate skill sets that the job market is demanding out of its applicants, clearly suggesting that greater education is needed. Along these lines, another way in which academic excellence is a ticket to success is that more education creates more opportunities for an individual. The more education that an individual has enables them greater chances to have more choices in front of them. Professional success can be defined as having more choices and not being locked out of any potential career, vocation, or earning path. Greater education enables greater flexibility. This is another way in which academic excellence and success can be seen as connecting to one another.